Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-03-13

entirely of native material, except the
GLASS in the windows, and oil paid for !;
a uniformed fire company, armed with
patent fire-extinguishers, and brass
band of twenty pieces. There are no
liouor. saloons. no gsmbling-houses,
and no dens of infamy, and
no murder has been committed at
Meta Kathla since the colony was
planted, nearly twenty-five years ago.
The village has been self-supporting
from the first. The Indians have never
had any annuities or other Government
aid. The influence Of this colony has
spread for $50 miles each side Of il mp
aud down the coast. Dog-eating and
human. flesh biting are no more prac-
ticed the power of the medicine-men
has in great measure been broken :
totem poles have nearly disappeared ;
life and property is secure, and large
proportion Of the Indians are Chris
tians.
BELONGS TO no SECT.
The man who has accomplished all
this is not Christian minister and does
not now belong to any religious de-
nomination, although he first went to
the northwest coast under the auspices
OF the Church Missionary Society of
London. He bas taught the Indians
what he has understood to be the sim
pie truths of the Bible, troubling them
with the creed of no sect and the for
malities of no ecclesiasticism. He was
a mercantile clerk in England before
he went to British Colombia, and has
accomplished what he has by living
among the Indians, working with them
with his own hands, teaching them the
arts of civilization, and preaching to
them the pure religion of Christianity.
Lord Duherin visited Meta Kathla and
wrote most enthusiastically about it
Bancroft, the historian OF the Pacific
coast, speaks of it and of Mr.. Duncan
repeatedly and in the most compli-
mentary terms in several of his vol
umes, and every one who visits it is
surprised and delighted.
And yet, between greed and bigotry,
Mr.. Duncan and Meta kathla are in
trouble. The land upon which the viii
lage is built belongs to the Government
of British Colombia; the Indians have
never been able to obtain title TO it,
and neither the Colonial nor Dominion
Government will do anything TO insure
them permanent possession of the land
upon which they have put so many i'm
provements. suspect that it is bad
case of red tape, but the recent sale of
a tract of land adjoining the village to
persons having no interests in common
with the Indians has alarmed them.
Then the Church Missionary Society
of London, being dissatisfied because
Mr.. Duncn. has discarded the ritual OF
the Church of England, has sent out q
High-Church bishop to bring the In
dams into the fold. But they are salts
fed with the simple religion they have
been taught by Mr.. Duncan, and which
they have found in the Bible, and, as
they cannot get rid of the bishop, who
only troubles them, they have finally
concluded that they must move across
the line into Alaska, where they are as
sured they will have undisturbed pos
session of the land they may occupy,
and where they will he beyond the iu-
risdiction of the Church of England.
Mr.. Duncan came East to arrange
with the Government for the removal.
He asks for no assistance 4; he never has
done that, even refusing to have collec-
tions taken when he has visited Eng
land and spoken there OF his work.
FAN-TAN.
l found young Captain John McCul-
lagh. of the Bloody Sixth, " III his sta
tion-house the other day surrounded by
bagso of rafting Chinese money, of chink-
ling Chinese dominoes, and of rustling
Chinese cards-thousand of each in
each bag, and all the most peculiar
looking things imaginable. The cards
were one inch wide and four inches
long, the dominoes were three times as
big as those we play with. the coins
were little disks of brass with a hole in
the middle Of each, in order that they
might be strung on strings like but
tons. The rosy-faced young captain is
the ruler Of Chinatown, and had been
making his customary raids on his sub
jects.
every Chinaman CANDLES, " said he,
"and every Chinaman smokes opium
you may put that down as a rule tits
not to be wondered at either, for they
have no other means of entertaining or
amusing themselves no theatres,
churches, homes that are really homes,
families, concert halls, or anything to
take the places of these except the
opium joints and gambling dens."
L got the Captain to explain the game
OF tan, the principal gambling game
Of the Chinese. He said he had never
seen it played and that very few white
men in this city ever have done So The
Chinese will admit white men to COM
partnership in their homes, in their
opium joints, and everywhere except in
their gambling resorts. However, the
Captain knew all about their game.
He had broken many door behind
which it was in process, and many a
time he had seen the Cinnamon all
sitting on their heels in the seats OF
chairs pulled up around the gaming
table, which is an ordinary kitchen-ta-
bic thee feet wide by seven feet long,
covered with mating, and having an
arc-shaped place cut ont of one end,
into which thedealer is to squeeze him
self. Many time the Captain has
caught the dealer reaching forth with a
stick like a lead-pencil, but twice as
long, to pick out the counters from
under the cup in the middle of the
table.
sHe explains these mysterious glimpses
at Oriental vice in this way The table
has four corners, and they are number
ed /, 2, 8, and 4. These are the betting
points. The Cinnamon bet with Amer
lean silver, putting their stakes on
whichever corner they think is likely
to win. The dealer hos boxful Of
buttons, bits of ivory, or Chinese
"cash." This "cash" is what is most
commonly used. 1t is brass coin the
size of a cent, but perforated through
the middle and having the value OF a
tenth OF a cent. The dealer puts his
band in the box and takes O
handful Of these coins. Neither
be nor any one else can tell how
many he takes. These he puts under
a small brass cup on the table. He then
begins pulling them out from under the